Here Comes the Rest of Our Lives
by Rossnrachgal
Summary: Follow up to "The Next 24 Hours", looking at the lives of Ross and Rachel after the finale. I know lots of these have been done, but I have always wanted to do one. Chapter 9 up....PLEASE REVIEW!
1. The Box

Decided to continue the story after "The Next 24 Hours", but this is past 24 hours so I created a new story. I'm going to finish Paris, Je t'aime, but need to decide where it's going. I know so many of these stories have been done about Ross and Rachel after the finale, and I have no idea where mine is going. But i just wanted to write my version, so hopefully it won't be too similar to other ones (haven't read that many of them).

* * *

"I think she's finally down," Ross expressed as a sigh of relief, walking out of the second bedroom in his apartment.

"I thought we wore her out today. I figured she'd been out by seven," Rachel replied as she stretched out on the brown leather couch in Ross's apartment.

"I think she's the one who wore us out," Ross said, smiling as he sat down on the couch.

Rachel pulled her legs back so she could make room for Ross, and then stretched them back out onto his thighs. She returned a smile to him as she twiddled the fringe on the blanket she had wrapped around herself.

"You think she has any idea what's going on?" Rachel asked.

"I doubt it. She's not even two yet," Ross replied as he gently rubbed Rachel's ankles with his fingertips.

Rachel was referring to their reunion, and ultimately in the creation of their family. Just three days before, they had been two best friends with a child. They were two best friends who, in a moment of uncontrollable passion, had made love the night before Rachel was to leave for Paris. They couldn't explain the forces that had brought them back together that night. In the seven years since their breakup, a continued attraction for each other had remained in the back of their minds. Only once in those seven years had they given into that attraction, which resulted in the creation of Emma. But on the night she was to leave his life for good, Ross was finally able to admit that it more than just an attraction that had lingered on. He loved her. He loved her more than life itself.

Their feelings for each other had really never gone away. The timing was just always off when the other might have been able to admit something was still there. Ross, trying to move on from Rachel for good, had proposed to his girlfriend Emily within six weeks of meeting her. Rachel was still in love with him and tried with all the courage she could find in herself to tell him how she felt. But, because she loved him so much, she let him marry Emily and forced herself to move on. After a divorce from Emily, Ross continued to live his life without any true direction. Then after a drunken marriage to Rachel in Las Vegas, Ross realized he did still care very deeply for her, but denied it to his friends. It wasn't until Rachel got pregnant with Emma that they both realized that they still loved each other. Even after admitting that to each other the day after Emma was born, they never could get things quite right. In a moment of fear, Rachel had said "yes" when she thought Joey had asked her to marry him. Ross wasn't able to get over this, and they decided once again that staying friends was the best thing for them. It finally took the idea of losing Rachel forever for Ross to risk his heart and soul in a chance to get her back. It worked.

"She's so smart though," Rachel said, trying to convince herself that Emma could see that her parents were now more than friends.

"I know. Who knows, maybe she can," Ross said as he yawned.

"Aw, look who's tired," Rachel playfully commented to Ross.

"You two girls can really take the energy out of me," he replied, resting is head on the back of the couch.

"Well thanks to you taking us to that museum, my feet are killing me," Rachel belted back.

"You wore two inch heels, honey," Ross playfully said.

"Well, all my other shoes are still in boxes at Joey's," she replied in the same playful tone. "But most of those have heels too."

"Let me make them feel better," Ross said in an understanding voice as he grabbed one of Rachel's feet.

He gently massaged the underside of her foot with his thumbs, causing her to let out a slight moan. She smiled up at him, still trying to figure out how she got so lucky.

"Yeah, just keep doing that," Rachel ordered, closing her eyes and tilting her head up in the air.

"Ohh, I'm your personal foot massager now, aren't I?" Ross asked, increasing the pressure of the massage just a little.

"Hmm-hm," Rachel mumbled as she nodded, still keeping her eyes closed.

Ross switched feet and tried to get Rachel to come out of her extreme relaxation.

"You wanna go get your stuff from Joey's tomorrow," he asked, knowing that would get her to open her eyes.

"Sure," she nodded again, still keeping her eyes closed.

They had agreed that Rachel and Emma would move in with Ross right away. After all they had been through together, it didn't seem like they would be moving too fast. Ross had declared, "I'm never letting you go again" the night they got back together, so they both knew that this was something they didn't need to take their time on. Rachel had packed all of her stuff up in boxes to have shipped to Paris, so everything was still waiting for her at Joey's. Joey was going to send it for her once he knew she got to Paris, but she had asked that he just leave it in her room for a couple of days until she could come get it.

"Rach, your nail is purple," Ross said seriously, trying to get Rachel's attention from the little slumber she was falling into.

"Huh?" she asked, startled and sitting up slightly.

"Oh, that got you up," Ross flirted as he dropped her foot and began crawling on top of her.

With his hands pressed into the couch and supporting his entire body, Ross stared down at Rachel. She smiled shyly back at him, hoping that he was about to make a move on her. He allowed his arms to ease down so that his body now rested atop her, and he ran his fingers through her golden hair.

"You can't go to sleep yet," he insisted, planting a light kiss on her lips.

She moved her arms around his neck, massaging it with both hands.

"But you're tired too," she whined.

"Not too tired to do this," he said, placing his lips on her neck.

The touch of his tongue caused Rachel to shiver, so she moved her head to the side to give him better access. Her hands slid through his hair as he sucked lightly at her neck. His tongue glided from her neck to her left ear. Ross could feel her moving her body in anticipation for more as soon as he found her ear. This was her favorite spot. He knew that if he wanted to get her going, all he had to do was find the right spot on her ear and she'd be his.

She wiggled beneath him, indicating that she was taking great pleasure in what he was doing. His lips moved from her ear to her mouth, and they became engaged in a long, passionate kiss.

"Bedroom?" Rachel whispered, backing out of the kiss just long enough to do so.

"Yeah," he muttered, hardly able to contain himself from undressing her right there.

Rachel pushed him off of her, but found his lips again immediately after they stood up from the couch. They stumbled backwards towards the bedroom very similarly to the way they had done so three nights before. This time didn't feel so anxious though. There were no questions in the back of their minds tonight. They just wanted each other. They needed each other.

Just as Rachel pulled Ross by his shirt into the bedroom, hollers surfaced from Emma's room.

"Mommy!" the little girl screamed, almost as if she was having a nightmare.

Their sizzling bodies separated, as they both had to take a second to catch their breaths.

"You want me to go?" Ross asked, knowing that Rachel had endured many more late nights than he had over the last two years.

Still trying to catch her breath, Rachel responded, "No, it's ok. Just give me a couple of minutes."

Rachel went to Emma's room, hoping that she only needed to be changed. The baby was standing in her crib, holding a stuffed animal in one hand and nibbling on the thumb of her other hand. She had small tears streaming from her eyes.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Rachel asked, picking her up from the crib.

"I want Hugsy," Emma babbled as she took her thumb out of her mouth.

Rachel rubbed the back of her head. "Em, Hugsy lives at Joey's. We don't live there anymore. Remember how I told you were going to live with Daddy now?"

"Please, Hugsy?" Emma pouted.

"Oh baby," Rachel said as she rocked her in her arms. "How about one of your dinosaurs?"

"Martin," Emma said in response to Rachel's question. She was referring to a book her parents would read her about a penguin named Martin.

"Did Daddy not read it to you?" she asked, hoping that Ross actually had.

Emma shook her head.

"Ok, one quick story and then you need some sleep, ok?"

Emma nodded her head back at Rachel. Rachel sat Emma on her lap in a rocking chair that Ross had bought right after Emma was born. She started reading the story, and luckily, within minutes Emma was out cold. Emma had always been good about sleeping through the night. Occasionally, she would wake up and request some juice or another story, but for a child her age she was actually very good about sleeping.

Rachel returned to the bedroom after double-checking to make sure Emma was asleep.

"I'm back," she whispered sexily, opening the door slowly.

Ross had fallen asleep with his clothes still on. Rachel put her hands on her hips in a bit of frustration, but also understood why he was so tired. She was actually exhausted too because they had spent a day at the park, then a museum, and then had gone to dinner. He looked very peaceful so she decided not to disturb him. Because most of her clothes were still at Joey's or somewhere across the Atlantic, she found one of his t-shirts and a pair of his boxers to change into. She crept slowly across the bedroom to turn off the lights after she did her nightly routines, and then crawled into bed. She didn't bother getting under the covers since Ross was lying on top of them, so instead she snuggled up next to him, placing her head on his shoulder. As much as she wanted to make love to him tonight, she was satisfied just being in his arms. These were the arms that could finally protect her and keep her warm again after all these years.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, but it also didn't take long for Ross to wake up either. He was a bit dazzled at first, but realized he still had his clothes on and that Rachel had already gone to sleep. He decided to stay that way, not wanting to disturb her from her sleep. He too would have been ecstatic with the chance to make love tonight, but was just as happy having her back in his arms again.

* * *

"Hey, Joey," Rachel said, greeting him with a hug as she entered the apartment she had called home off and on for the last three and a half years.

"Hey," Ross followed. He was carrying Emma and entered right behind Rachel.

"Hey guys!" Joey exclaimed, jumping up from his recliner. "Hey, Emma!"

Rachel hugged Joey as they had not seen each other since Monica and Chandler moved out three days before. She headed towards her old bedroom to see how many boxes they were going to be able to carry.

"Hey, Emma," Joey said, putting his arms out for her.

"You wanna go to your uncle Joey?" Ross asked Emma as he handed her off to Joey.

"You guys think we can get all of this in a couple of trips?" Rachel shouted from the bedroom.

"Let me come see how much it is," Ross hollered back.

"So how you guy's doing?" Joey asked quietly.

"It's really good. I'm really happy," Ross responded with a large smile.

"I'm glad you guys finally got it right," Joey said, patting Ross on the shoulder. He opened his eyes wide for Emma as she giggled at him.

"Me too," Ross replied as he made his way to Rachel's bedroom.

Ross surveyed the room to see how many boxes Rachel had. Surprisingly, she only had a few boxes. Joey came into the bedroom behind them with Emma still in his arms.

"You guys want me to keep Emma while you move or would you rather me help?"

"Well I think I can lift some of these so you can keep her if you want," Rachel responded.

"Gonna make me lift all the heavy ones?" Ross chuckled, tilting his head to the side.

"Aww, it's mostly just clothes and random stuff," Rachel blurted back even though she sensed Ross's sarcastic tone.

"So Joey, you really gonna do this LA thing?" Ross asked as he picked up the first box.

"Yeah, I think so. Gina's going out there in three weeks."

"We're really going to miss you," Rachel said, almost tearing up.

"I'll miss you guys too," Joey replied as he gave Emma a hug. "You better come visit."

"Oh, you know we will!" Ross exclaimed in his typical high-pitched voice. "I love having free places to stay!"

"You love anything that's free," Rachel sarcastically said as she picked up a box.

Ross squinted his eyes at her, but knew she was just kidding. They had always exchanged these kinds of looks with each other. They were looks that could be described as mean, but they were never actually serious with each other. (Except for the first year or so after their break up.)

"Ok, Emma, you're going to stay here for a little bit with Joey while Mommy and I move some of your stuff," Ross explained.

"K, Daddy," Emma answered while clapping her hands together.

Ross and Rachel spent the next hour moving her boxes to his apartment. If he had lived farther away, they would have had to get a truck. But it actually didn't take that long for them to get everything to the apartment. They spent some more time with Joey, promising each other that they had to hang out as much as possible before he left. Ross and Rachel had decided that they were going to rent a cabin in upstate New York this coming weekend, so they set a dinner date with Joey for the following Monday. It would be a very bittersweet moment when they had to say good-bye to Joey, but they were both very happy that he had something to move onto as all his friends got married and had children.

Ross and Rachel spent the rest of the afternoon clearing out space in what was now their apartment for some of her stuff. The biggest challenge was the closet, which ended with Ross agreeing to put some of his stuff in the closet in Emma's bedroom.

"Thank you, sweetie," Rachel said flirtatiously as Ross moved some of his shirts out of the closet.

"You're welcome. You can make it up to me tonight," he answered while giving Rachel a wink.

She winked back as she hung up some of her clothes.

"I still can't believe this place has bigger closets than Monica's," Rachel commented.

"That's how I lured you to move in the first time isn't it?" Ross reminded her.

"Well it worked," Rachel said.

Just as Rachel was finishing with one of her boxes of clothes, her cell phone rang.

"Hello……hey Pheebs!"

She smiled at Ross as he broke down one of the boxes.

"Yeah, hold on a second," Rachel continued. Putting her hand over the receiver, she looked at Ross. "Do you care if I go get coffee with her for just a little bit?"

"Of course not," Ross said in an affirming tone, indicating that she didn't need to ask him.

"Ok, I'll meet you down there in ten," Rachel said quickly, snapping shut the cell.

"She's in the neighborhood and just thought she'd see if I was around," Rachel explained to Ross.

Ross walked to Rachel and put his arm around her, kissing her on top of the head.

"Go ahead and have fun. I'll finish up with some of this here. But remember you owe me tonight," he playfully said.

"Thanks, hon," she said, grabbing her purse and walking towards the front door. "Be back in like an hour."

Ross went to check on Emma, who was napping in her room. He strolled back to the bedroom, unsure of what box to open next. Just like Rachel not to label the boxes, he thought to himself.

He cut the tape on one, pulling it open. It had a variety of items in it, including a photo album, Emma's baby book, and an assortment of other things. Ross noticed a shoebox, and curiously opened it. To his surprise, it was her "Ross" box that she had shown him years ago on Thanksgiving Day. He stared at the contents for a moment, and then sat down on the bed to further explore it. The movie stub from their first date. The dinosaur bone from the museum. The bracelet Rachel had worn at the hospital when she had Emma. Their divorce papers. Ticket stubs from a show they had seen on Broadway. A few random pictures of them from over the years, even one only taken a month before. And of course, the Frankie Says Relax t-shirt he had let her keep after their break-up. He pulled it out of the box to smell it. It had Rachel's scent, but he could also tell it hadn't been washed in quite some time. Noticeably missing was the eggshell, but he figured that had to start smelling eventually. He couldn't believe she had kept these things after all this time. And to think, she wasn't taking that much with her to Paris, but she had made room for this in one of her boxes. He decided to put everything back in the shoebox, and re-taped the box so she wouldn't know he had seen it. But a huge smile emerged on his face. He truly felt like the luckiest guy in the entire world.


	2. The Wait

Chapter Rated **M** towards the end...skip over if you don't like that stuff.

* * *

"Ok, take the next right," Rachel said as she read the directions she had printed out.

"You sure?" Ross asked, mocking her for having taken them down a wrong road just minutes before.

"I'm sure," she answered, rolling her eyes at him.

Rachel looked at the map on her second page to see how much farther they had to go.

"How much farther?" Ross asked.

"Just a couple miles," Rachel said. "But if I was driving we would've been there an hour ago," she teased.

"Hey, I take pride in my cautious driving," Ross spouted, trying to defend himself.

"Of course you do, sweetie," Rachel mimicked him. She smiled at him.

They were driving to upstate New York in a rented car. The day after they had gotten back together they decided it would be nice for just the two of them to take a trip for the weekend. Emma ended up staying with Ross's parents. They hadn't seen her in a while and jumped at the chance to take her for the weekend. This would be the first vacation Ross and Rachel had taken together since they were a couple seven years before. Ross's co-worker had told him out about a great deal on a cabin rental right on the lake, so Ross was thrilled when he was able to make a last minute reservation.

After checking in at the entrance of the park, their car pulled up the long, winding road that lead them into a thick wooded area. There were only a few other cabins around, which would give them all the privacy they would need. The cabin was simple, only one story and with three windows on the front. It was cute though, almost cottage like. Completely shaded by several types of trees, it was going to be perfect for their weekend.

"Oh, it's so cute," Rachel cheered as the car pulled into the driveway. "Good choice."

"Russell promised it would be nice," Ross replied, referring to the professor that had told him about the place.

They got out of the car and gathered their luggage and groceries they had stopped to get. Because they weren't planning on leaving the cabin all weekend, they wanted to stock up on enough food for the next two days. Ross purchased some chicken breasts, salad materials, pasta, and various snacks so they would have their choice of food for Friday and Saturday nights. Rachel was in charge of wine and brought three bottles of their favorites.

The inside of the cabin was very homey, with wooden walls and a stone fireplace in the living room. There were two couches facing a new plasma television, and various floral arrangements on the end tables. The kitchen was to the left of the living area, and had been upgraded with the finest appliances.

After leaving their luggage at the front door and putting the groceries on the counter in the kitchen, they went to explore the bedroom. A mahogany queen size bed with satin bedding was the focus of the room. The bathroom featured a giant spa tub with a separate granite shower right off the bedroom.

"Ross, this place is fantastic," Rachel said as she came out of the bathroom, wrapping her arms around him from his backside.

"I know, a job well done, right?" he asked, stroking her hands that rested on his stomach.

"Let's go see the view," Rachel suggested, removing her arms from Ross and rushing towards the double doors on the other side of the bedroom.

Overlooking a spectacular view, the wood-stained deck featured a four-person spa, patio furniture, a swing, and a gas grill. A clear, crystal lake could be seen for what seemed like miles. Other cabins speckled in the thick brush that surrounded the lake in every direction. It was a perfect setting for this couple who was seeking the chance to make up for all the years they had lost with each other.

"Can you believe this place?" Ross asked as he put his arm around Rachel's shoulder.

"Let's forget about me moving into your place. Let's just move here," Rachel joked.

They turned to face each other. Rachel wrapped her arms around his waist, and Ross rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Hmm, clean air and no one else around for thousands of feet in every direction. It's tempting," Ross answered.

"Well except for Emma," Rachel reminded him.

"Ok, then we'd need a bigger cabin. She's gonna need her own room cause there's just too much stuff I wanna do to you that just wouldn't be suitable for her to see," Ross flirted.

"Oh really? Like what?" Rachel asked curiously, grabbing Ross with a tighter grasp.

"You'll just have to find that out later," Ross tantalized, brushing some loose hair behind her ear.

"Ohhhh, well I'll be waiting," Rachel said anxiously.

"Let's go put the food up before it goes bad," Ross suggested, pulling Rachel by the hand and leading her inside.

While Ross put up the food, Rachel took their bags into the bedroom and unpacked. This was probably the only trip she had ever taken that she brought just one bag. Since they weren't planning on going anywhere, she wasn't that worried about packing more than a couple of outfits. If Ross had his way, she wouldn't need any clothes all weekend. She studied the lingerie she had packed, trying to decide which one she wanted to wear for Ross that night. He had tried to take a peek at what she was packing, but she sternly told him that he wasn't allowed to see anything; it was to be a surprise.

After settling in, they decided to spend some time on the deck while the weather was still nice. It was supposed to storm that night, and the view was just too amazing to miss out on.

"We never went anywhere like this before did we?" Rachel asked, snuggling up to Ross on the swing.

"We went to your sister's cabin one time, but I guess it doesn't count since your family was there," Ross replied.

"It really would be something to live out here though wouldn't it?" Rachel wondered.

"I don't really see you giving up living in the city," Ross commented, rubbing Rachel's shoulder.

"Maybe one day," she said. "Or we can just buy a cabin to have for weekends."

"Yeah, cause I'm just rolling in money with two kids and all. Where do I sign?" Ross snickered.

"Ross, you know I don't expect you to support me, right?" Rachel asked in a concerned tone.

"Whoa, I was just kidding," Ross defended himself.

"Ok, well I'll have the money to help support Emma soon enough," Rachel fought back.

"Rach, I was just joking. But you know that you can take all the time you need to find another job right?" he asked.

"Well I plan on looking right away," Rachel snapped, almost taking this too personally. "I'm probably gonna call Ralph Lauren on Monday anyway."

"Ok," Ross said lightly. He could sense that his comments had upset her.

There was silence for a moment as they rocked on the swing.

"Let's not worry about that this weekend, ok?" Ross finally said.

"I know, you're right. I'm sorry," Rachel agreed.

For the rest of the afternoon, they relaxed on the swing and took a short nap together. Emma had woken up at five that morning, and Ross was exhausted from the drive. It didn't seem necessary for them to rush straight into bed this weekend. They were enjoying catching up and just savoring each other's presence. They knew that once it happened it was going to be fantastic, but both were contempt with taking their time and knew the anticipation would make it that much better.

Ross made Rachel wait in the bedroom while he made dinner. She had no idea why he would be so secretive about cooking, but figured he had something up his sleeve.

"Ok, dinner's ready," he said, peeking his head into the bedroom.

"Good, I'm hungry," Rachel replied, taking his hand and following him into the kitchen.

The room was dark, only illuminated by the candles on the table. Ross had prepared her favorite pasta dish and salad. He had already poured their wine. All that was needed were two people to enjoy the food.

"Ross, this is perfect," Rachel commented upon entering the kitchen.

"And these," Ross said, picking up a bouquet of roses from the kitchen counter, "are for you."

He gave her his signature kiss on the cheek.

"Awww, where did you get these?"

"I ran down to the front desk while I was cooking. I had them delivered down there earlier today," he answered.

She grabbed his waist and gazed up at him.

"You're too much, you know?"

Ross nodded his head. "I know. Now let's eat before it get's cold."

As they ate dinner together, they would subtly rub one another's hands. Rachel brushed her foot against Ross's, giving him a sexy look while doing so. He pretended not to notice, but she knew he did. After they finished eating, Ross suggested they go ahead and clean up before getting settled in for the evening.

"Just leave it," Rachel suggested. "Why don't you start a fire? I'm going to go call your parents and check on Emma."

"Ok," Ross agreed, standing up from the table.

Rachel went back into the bedroom to change into a lacy pink bra and underwear. She didn't want to be too obvious, but since they had gotten back together a week before she had not had the chance to prepare something sexy for him. Having a daughter that's almost two just didn't leave much time for that kind of thing.

She emerged from the bedroom in her robe to find Ross washing the dishes. Though he wasn't as bad, he still had some qualities of Monica in him. She tip-toed into the kitchen, sneaking up behind him as he stood at the sink. She rubbed her hands seductively up his chest.

"I thought you were going to start a fire," she said, startling him.

"You know I'd feel better having this done," he answered, continuing to rinse the plate in his hand.

Rachel grabbed the plate out of his hands and dropped into the soapy water.

"Hey," Ross started as Rachel started to twist his body, turning him around to face her.

"Come here," she whispered, rubbing her hands up and down his chest.

"Well hi," he responded, placing his hands on her waist.

"Finish that later, ok," Rachel said shyly.

"Ok," he nodded, taking hold of her hands.

He pulled her into a hug, taking a moment to savor the romantic moment before trying to make a move on her. They had always had different approaches to lovemaking. Sometimes they jumped each other unable to resist their hormones. Other times, like this, they took their time, letting the other one know that the moment was about more than the physical act. This was something that had never changed with them in seven years. Tonight it was about the unexplainable feelings they had for each other, and they wanted to cherish each new moment they had together.

Rachel turned, silently taking Ross by the hand and walking in front of him towards the bedroom. Upon entering the bedroom, she turned to smile at him, and then slowly removed her robe, revealing the sexy lingerie she had changed into.

His eyes almost popped out at the sight of her. She smiled shyly at his reaction, signaling him with her eyes to come closer.

Ross approached her, delicately touching her shoulders when he reached her. He leaned into her, whispering, "You're so beautiful."

With his hand lightly touching her cheek, he leaned in for a soft kiss, and then pulled back again to look at her. Feeling an intense surge coming on, Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck, and brought his face to hers, sliding her tongue into his mouth. The kiss became fiery, causing Ross to push Rachel backwards onto the bed. He fell atop her, returning his lips to hers, and caressed her legs softly with his free hand. Rachel yanked at his shirt, trying to let him know she wanted it to come off.

Rachel couldn't believe the shape Ross was in now. His muscles were so defined; his biceps were almost perfect. Once his shirt was off, she ran her hands up and down his back, over his arms, and then all over his chest while he continued kissing her. She felt the warm kisses move to her neck, and then her shoulders. Ross took his time, making sure to run his tongue over every inch of her. He slowly traced her salty skin down to her breasts, pulling back her bra so he could have access to her nipples. She sat up slightly, allowing him to remove it. Rachel's breathing was intensifying, turning Ross on even more. He wanted so much to strip and begin pounding her right away, but he resisted and continued to take his time with her body. He knew each erogenous zone, and he made sure that his tongue met them all.

After driving her up the wall by kissing her breasts and stomach, Ross pulled back, sat up, and ran his index finger down the inner part of her leg. Upon reaching her foot, he slowly kissed each toe, knowing that this drove her absolutely wild. He loved teasing her. Rachel knew this is what made him such a better lover than anyone she had ever been with. Most guys were self-pleasers, but Ross, all he cared about was pleasing her.

His tongue moved its way down her legs and finally he went to work on her, using his tongue and fingers to send her over the edge.

When he was finished, Rachel sat up, and hugged him tightly. He held her as her breathing slowly returned to a normal state. Rachel kissed his neck and ran her fingertips over his back. Ross let out a small moan as she pushed him backwards. His head was now resting at the foot of the bed, and Rachel began kissing his chest, inching her way down to his belly button.

After Rachel removed his pants, their bodies were finally able to become one. All day had been building up to this moment. Ross rocked Rachel back and forth, holding her in his arms, pressing his head deep into her neck. He could taste the sex on her skin. She clawed at his back as his thrusts became faster, then pushed him backwards so he was lying flat on the bed. Her hips rocked back and forth as his hands explored her body. As the passion continued towards its peak, their hands found each other, their fingers interlacing as Rachel rocked faster and faster. They were both moaning loudly; neither cared how loud they were.

"Ah, ah, oh God, Ross!" Rachel screamed, grasping his hands as tightly as possible.

Her body fell onto his as his arms pulled her into his chest. They lay there together, their bodies rhythmically breathing together. After a couple of minutes, Ross sat up and turned his body around so that his head was now at the top of the bed. Rachel followed suit, bringing her head to his chest and stroking it with her left hand.

"How did we go all day without doing that?" Ross asked.

"I don't know," Rachel said, still trying to catch her breath. "Where did you learn that thing you did with your tongue?"

"I told you that book," Ross answered with a little laugh.

"Hmm, I'm gonna have to look at that when we get back."

"No, you have to wait for me to surprise you," he ordered, running his hand up and down her arm.

"Oh, ok," she said quietly.

They remained in silence for just a few moments, when Ross proposed an idea.

"Hey, how about we go get under a blanket on the couch and I'll start a fire."

"Do I have to put my clothes back on?" Rachel asked flirtatiously.

"I won't let you," Ross giggled, sitting up and leading Rachel back into the living room.

Rachel snuggled up under a blanket on the couch and admired Ross's ass while he started a fire. As the weatherman had promised, a strong thunderstorm started rolling in as Ross got comfy with Rachel under the blanket. For a May night, it usually would have been too warm for a fire, but the air was surprisingly cool for the time of the year.

Rachel curled her body up tightly, allowing Ross to wrap his arms around her.

"This is almost too perfect," Rachel said. "The rain and fire. It doesn't get more romantic does it?"

Ross shook his head. "The rain, fire, and you," he whispered into her ear, kissing her shoulder. "I love you, Rach."

"I love you too," she replied, taking hold of his hand under the blanket.

They admired the fire together, cuddling as close as possible.

"Can I ask you something?" Rachel inquired, breaking the silence.

"Sure," Ross replied.

"When did you know?"

"Know what?" he asked in a confused tone.

"That you were in love with me again," Rachel answered.

Ross paused for a moment. "Well, I mean I don't think I ever really stopped loving you," he confirmed, squeezing her hand. "But I think I realized it when we went to my parents' 35th anniversary party and had to pretend we were married."

"Really?"

"Yeah, having to pretend that I had what I had wanted for years just made me realize what I was missing," he answered as he kissed the back of Rachel's head. "What about you?"

Rachel knew she'd have to answer the question if she asked it. "When I told you I loved you the first time," she confessed.

Ross squeezed her entire body, closed his eyes and silently thanked God for her.

"But remember that night you made me feel better after I went out with that ass-hole Days of Our Lives guy?"

"Yeah," Ross whispered.

"That's when I knew that I'd never get over you. I followed you back to the coffee shop and saw you with Mona, so then I figured I'd have to stop waiting for you."

"Rach," Ross started, unsure of what to say.

He buried his face in her hair, letting her know he was there for her now and forever.

"How'd we mess up so many times?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know, sweetie," Ross answered. "But I promise I'm not letting you go again."

"There were so many nights I told myself to just forget the past and just wanted to go to your apartment and tell you that I loved you."

Ross turned her body so she was facing him. "I know, but we can't change what happened. Let's just focus on now, ok?" he said staring deeply into her eyes.

Rachel nodded. "I know. I just wanted to tell you that last week at the airport I did know I loved you. It didn't take me getting back on that plane to realize it."

Ross smiled. "I know it was a lot to take in at once. But we're here now right?"

She nodded again and blushed.

"You're too cute," Ross complimented. He gave her a soft kiss and then moved his body behind hers again, wrapping his arms around her.

"Ross?"

"Yeah?"

"You were worth the wait."


	3. The Fight

The alarm clock buzzed loudly as the time turned to 6:00 AM. Ross moaned as he leaned over to hit the snooze button. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up and rested his head against the headboard. The sound of the alarm caused Rachel to stir in her sleep, and she rolled over, reaching her arm out for Ross.

"Hey," she groaned, hardly able to open her eyes.

"Hey," he said in the same tone, still trying to get the sleep out of his eyes.

"Is it already six?" she asked as she reached for his hand.

"Mm-hmm," Ross mumbled, sliding back under the covers and resting his head on his pillow.

Rachel pulled her body closer to his, wrapping her arm over his chest.

"Don't go today," she begged.

It was Monday morning and they had arrived back in the city only about twelve hours before. The rest of their weekend had been spent making love all over the cabin. They tried the shower, the hot tub, the couch, and of course the bed. In between sessions they took time to eat and watch a movie, and even played a couple of board games they found in a closet. The whole weekend felt like they were young lovers again, and allowed them to become reacquainted mentally and physically. They couldn't wait until they could do it again.

"Oh, I have to," Ross groaned, wishing just as badly that he could stay in bed.

"Just cancel your class," Rachel suggested, clutching his body tighter.

Ross kissed her forehead. "You know I would if I could. I was out all last week so I've gotta go back.

She grabbed at him as he tried to get up. "Nooooooo."

He struggled out of her grasp, stretching as he stood up. "Sweetie, I'll be home before you know it. Get some more sleep, ok?"

She sat up and reached out for him, wrapping her arms around his torso. Ross leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "Love you," he whispered.

"Love you too," she said, falling back into the bed, and proceeded to go back to sleep.

By mid-Monday morning, Rachel had gotten Emma up and ready so she could go to Ralph Lauren and see about getting her job back. She knew the chances that they'd take her back were probably slim, but she figured her chances were better if she showed up in person rather than calling. Joey agreed to watch Emma while Rachel went to talk to Zelner.

Rachel tried to calm her nerves as she approached Zelner's door. She wasn't sure how she was going to explain that she wanted her job back. But she had to try.

"Mr. Zelner?" she asked, peeking into his door after knocking.

"Rachel? Aren't you supposed to be in Paris?" he asked.

"Well I wanted to talk to you about that," she said approaching his desk. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure," he replied as he motioned for her to sit down.

"I wanted to see if your offer for me to come back was still open," she asked timidly.

"Why didn't you take the other job?" he asked sternly.

"Well, because my family is here, sir. And when it came down to it my family comes first," she confessed.

"Listen, Rachel. You were great at your job, but I really don't have time for you to keep changing your mind about working for this company. And frankly, I don't appreciate you sending your friends down here to try and get your job back for you."

"Wha….what are you talking about?" Rachel asked, shocked at his allegations.

"Your friend Ron came down here twice and asked me to give you your job back."

"I, I, I don't even know a Ron," she stuttered.

"Yes, you do. You brought him to the Christmas party one year. He gave me dinosaur artifacts to give to my son so he could try and convince me to take you back."

"Dinosaur? Was he, ah, does he have brown hair and eyes?" Rachel asked, suddenly becoming livid with this situation.

"Yeah, he's a paleontologist," Zelner answered.

Rachel pulled her wallet out of her purse and found a picture of Ross in her wallet.

"Is this Ron?" she asked holding up the picture for him to see.

"Yes, that's him."

"Mr. Zelner, this isn't Ron. This is Ross, Emma's father. And I assure you, I did not send him down here to get my job back for me," Rachel explained.

"Well why would he care so much about helping you get your job back?" he asked.

"I'm sure it has something to do with me moving to Paris, and I promise you I will talk to him about it. I'm sorry I bothered you about this. Clearly, the only reason I could get my job back was because he bribed you," Rachel said, standing up from the chair.

"Wait, Rachel, sit down. I'd like for you to come back. Not because of him, but because you're good and we need you here. "

"Really?" she asked, sitting back down.

"Yes, but I'd like to make you Regional Director of Juniors Fashion. I think we could use some new eyes there."

"Are you serious? This isn't because of Ross?"

"No, Andrea actually resigned last week and I had been wishing you were still around to fill the position. Can you start next Monday?" Zelner asked.

"Of course. And I promise I won't let you down," Rachel said cheerfully.

"Rachel, are you and this Ross together? I've never heard you talk about Emma's father before," Zelner inquired.

"Well, we, he's kind of the reason I decided to stay in New York," she explained.

"It'll be good to have you back. I'll see you next week," he said.

Rachel got up and started to walk out the door.

"Oh, and Rachel," Zelner said.

Rachel turned around to look at him.

"If it counts for anything it seemed to me like Ross would have done anything to keep you in his life." He smiled at her as she nodded and left.

While this was great news, Rachel suddenly found herself unsure of what to think about Ross. Yes, he obviously cared about her enough to keep her from moving to Paris. But he let her tell him that Ralph Lauren wanted to give her more money, when he knew all along that it was because he had tried to bribe Zelner. She couldn't believe he was capable of lying about something like that. If they were going to rebuild a relationship, how could he not tell her something like this? Now, out of nowhere, Rachel wondered if she had made the right decision. Yes she loved him, but could she be with someone who lied to her?

Ross came strolling in around 4:30 that afternoon, eager to see his two girls. They were going to be meeting Joey in a couple of hours for dinner, and he wanted to spend some time with them beforehand.

"Hey!" Ross said excitedly, throwing his briefcase on the floor.

Emma was on the couch watching cartoons and Rachel was filling out some paperwork.

"Hi," she said softly, not looking up at him as she said it.

"Whatca doing?" he asked, walking over to the couch and sitting down next to her.

"I got a new job with Ralph Lauren. I'm filling out paperwork for HR," she said.

"Rach, that's great!" he exclaimed as he tried to lean in and kiss her.

"Hmm-hm," Rachel hummed, turning her head away from him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned when she wouldn't let him kiss her.

She put the pen down and gazed at him with a look of exasperation sprawled across her face.

"Did you try and bribe Ralph Lauren into giving me my job back?" she asked harshly.

"I, I, uh," Ross hesitated. "I went to talk to your boss before you were going to leave."

"And bribed him with your dinosaur toys to give me my job back?" Rachel exclaimed.

"Rach, I was just trying to…" Ross tried to explain.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?!" Rachel interrupted.

"I don't know," Ross said, staring at the ground.

"How could you not tell me this? I mean what were you thinking?" Rachel demanded to know.

"Look, I didn't want you to leave, ok. I thought that if you got your old job back you might wanna stay," Ross confessed.

"You let me think they wanted me back. The whole time you knew why they really wanted me and you didn't tell me!"

"I'm sorry. I panicked when you said you were leaving and I wasn't thinking."

"Ross, how could you…." Rachel started to say, but slowly trailed off her words.

"I just didn't know what I would do if you weren't in my life and I was just trying to keep you here without having to beg you myself," Ross explained with hurt in his voice.

"Do you know how this makes me feel? I thought I was good enough for the job because of me, and then I find out it's because you gave Zelner toys for his kid."

"I know, Rachel. And when I saw how much you wanted to go to Paris I told you to take the job. I didn't tell you about this because you were leaving," Ross cried.

Silence.

"But they gave your job back today?" Ross asked after a few moments.

"A new job. And it's because they want me," Rachel said, looking away from him.

"Sweetie, that's great," he said, reaching for her hand.

She moved her hand away from him. "I just need to think about some stuff right now," she said, standing up.

"Come on, you know I did this because I'm so in love with you and I couldn't imagine you not being here. I know I was wrong. I'm so sorry," Ross said, trying to justify his actions.

Rachel grabbed her purse from the chair.

"You and Emma go have dinner with Joey. I need some space right now," she said walking towards the door.

"Rach, please," Ross begged, standing up and trying to hug her.

"Just give me some time, ok?" she asked, opening the door.

"Ok," Ross conceded, watching her walk out the door.

Ross took Emma to have dinner with Joey, but the whole time he remained worried that Rachel would not be able to get over this. He knew that he should have told her about this when she decided not to go to Paris, but he assumed it wouldn't be relevant. When he returned home at 8:30, Rachel was still not back. He took the time to put Emma to bed, and then tried calling Rachel on her cell. She didn't answer, so he got in bed and started grading some papers. If she wasn't back by 9:30 he would start calling Joey and Phoebe to see if they had seen her.

Ross lost track of time while grading his papers and fell asleep. Around 10:00, Rachel came home and found him asleep with papers scattered across the bed. She knew he had called her about an hour before, but she didn't answer because she needed some more time to cool off. He looked so adorable as he slept. How could she stay mad at him for too long?

She took her shoes off and crawled onto the bed, moving some papers so she could curl up next to him. She smiled and ran her hand through his hair. He did it because he loves me, she thought.

Awakened by her touch, Ross opened his eyes to find Rachel looking down at him.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he replied, sitting up so that his face was now level with hers. "Where you been?"

"I went and walked around for a while, then went over to Phoebe's," she replied.

"I wish you would have called," Ross admitted. "I was getting worried."

Rachel took his hand and laced her fingers through his.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you," she whispered.

"I'm sorry I put you in that situation with your boss," Ross said. "I was just trying to help you have a reason to stay in New York. I should've been honest with you from the beginning." He stroked the top of her hand that was holding his other hand.

"Yeah, you should have. But I thought about it and I know you did it because you love me."

Ross nodded. "Mm-hm, that's why," he said, smiling at her.

Rachel smiled back. "Come here, baby." She pulled him into her arms, and he rested his head on her shoulder."

"Tell me about your new job. What is it?"

"He made me Regional Director of Junior's Fashion. I'll pretty much be the to-go person for the northeast region. And of course I get the final say in what clothes are put in the stores," she answered ecstatically.

"That sounds amazing," Ross said. He kissed her hand, released himself from her arms, and pulled her into an embrace so that he was now holding her.

The first fight had been inevitable. No matter how much you love someone, a healthy relationship is going to have its ups and downs. They had gotten through the fight, and undoubtedly there would eventually be more. But tonight they were able to fall asleep together, with the relief that they had worked things out. And now with both of them working, maybe they could start saving for that cabin.


	4. The Deal

Some parts rated **M**

* * *

Rachel leaned over the counter to get closer to the mirror as she applied her eyeliner, trying to keep the line even. She continued with her mascara, putting on an extra coat just to be safe. She was running late and still hadn't figured out what she was going to wear.

"Hey!" Ross shouted from the living room as he came through the front door.

"In here!" Rachel yelled back, letting him know she was in the bathroom.

Ross entered the bathroom to find Rachel putting on her blush.

"You're not dressed?" he asked when he first saw her, but then stopped his words as he noticed she was only wearing sexy black underwear.

"Just gotta decide between a couple of dresses," she replied, looking at him through the mirror.

Rachel turned around and proceeded to walk past Ross towards the bedroom.

"Whoa," Ross said as he stopped her. "What are you trying to do to me?"

"What?" Rachel asked in a confused one.

"You can't let me see you in that….." Ross explained, looking her up and down, "and then expect me to go let you put on clothes."

He grabbed her by the waist and planted a strong kiss on her lips.

"Oh, honey, we can't now," she said flirtatiously. "We've got to be there in thirty minutes."

Tonight they were going to Joey's goodbye dinner. He had originally planned on leaving for Los Angeles about three weeks after Monica and Chandler left the city, but ended up staying two more months so he could fulfill his contract obligations with Days of Our Lives. Ross had just dropped Emma off at his parents' house for the weekend, where Monica and Chandler had left Jack and Erika for the evening as well. Besides a dinner party Monica and Chandler had thrown in their new house, this was going to be the only time the six friends had been together in two months. Ross and Rachel were looking forward to the weekend; it would their first weekend alone since their trip to the cabin.

Things were going well between them. Once Rachel started her new job, they were able to get into a routine that worked well for both of them. Ross was only teaching one class this summer, and Emma was usually able to stay in the campus day care. They were searching for a new nanny so they would be set when Ross returned to a full schedule in the fall semester. Their previous nanny had found a new job after she thought Rachel was moving to Paris. Rachel had become somewhat stressed at her new job, but she did everything she could to leave work behind when she went home to Ross and Emma. For a couple that was so used to fighting with each other, they had been doing very well since they got back together.

"Come on," Ross said before kissing her neck. "Just a quickie."

Rachel received his kisses with a warm welcome. She wanted more than anything to let him continue, but she knew she had to control herself so they wouldn't be late.

"Ross, we can't," she said pushing him back. "Come on, you need to change your shirt."

Rachel went into the bedroom to look at the two dresses she had put on the bed.

"How am I supposed to go to dinner knowing that you're wearing that underneath your dress?" Ross whined like a little boy.

"Because later you get to see what's on under this," Rachel seductively said, pointing at her bra, then shimmying into a black dress she had chosen.

"Yowsa!" Ross said as he pulled off his shirt. He reached for a black collared shirt in the closet.

Rachel moved closer to him and grabbed the front of the shirt after he put it on. She buttoned the bottom button for him.

"Yowsa's right," she whispered seductively as she continued to button his buttons. She rubbed her hands up and down his chest after finishing the buttons.

"Oh, ohhh, you're killing me," Ross whined again as he grabbed his tie from the top of the dresser.

"I like making you have to think about it," Rachel flirted as she helped Ross put on his tie.

They gazed at each other with yearning looks. It had been four days since they had made love. Four days was way too long.

"Perfect," Rachel said as she straightened the knot of his tie. She then leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss, only adding more fire to his flame.

* * *

"And she just did the cutest thing with her lips," Monica explained as she told a story about Erika.

"Hon, I think they want to talk about something else besides the twins," Chandler interrupted.

"No, no, we just love hearing stories about the twins," Phoebe said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Mike. He smiled at her. She was on her fifth drink at this point.

"We do," Rachel agreed, secretly hoping she wasn't as annoying when she told stories about Emma.

"See, Chandler," Monica slurred as she sipped on her Long Island ice tea. Her tipsiness was beginning to show like Phoebe's.

"Joey, what's the first thing you're gonna do when you get to LA?" Ross asked, trying to change the subject.

"Go to some club only famous people can get into and find a blond with fake boobs to screw. Geez, Ross, what kind of question is that? You think I'm gonna go to the library?" Joey answered. He too had been drinking quite a bit.

Everyone laughed. Dinner was over and everyone was just sitting around talking and enjoying their drinks. None of them wanted to have to say good-bye to Joey, so they were trying to keep the night going as long as they could.

"We're going shopping when I come visit you," Rachel said, pointing across the table at Joey.

"Hey, maybe you can hook up with Pamela Anderson," Monica said, laughing in the process.

Joey nodded in agreement.

"She'll probably marry you after a couple days," Phoebe joked.

"Ross, who's been married more, you or Pamela?" Chandler asked despite his soberness.

Ross frowned.

"Definitely Ross," Joey said.

"No, it's gotta be Pamela. Didn't she marry one of them twice?" Monica asked.

"Well, then Ross needs to marry Rachel again to catch up!" Joey hollered.

Ross and Rachel looked at each other.

"Guys, come on, maybe you need to stop the drinking," Rachel suggested.

"Well it's about time you guys got married," Phoebe sputtered as she tipped her drink back until it was gone.

"Phoebe, come on," Mike intervened.

"No, Phoebs is right. Ross you haven't gotten married in like five years. What's with the drought?" Joey said drunkenly, turning his head to the side. "I wanna officiate another one!"

Monica and Phoebe laughed. Chandler looked at Ross and Rachel as they looked down at the table.

"Rach, if Chandler had waited all this time to marry me, he'd a been on the curb years ago," Monica laughed. "I mean what are you guys waiting for?"

"Maybe it's none of your business," Ross said sternly.

"Proposal, proposal!" Joey yelled, pounding his fists on the table.

"Proposal, proposal!" Phoebe repeated.

Rachel reached for Ross's hand but knew it was too late. Ross stood up and ran towards the bar. He knew that it was the alcohol talking, but still couldn't understand how his best friends could say such things. He had let them make jokes about his marriages all these years, but when they mocked him for not marrying Rachel, they were going to far. This is something that was between them. Even though they'd only been back together for two months, he continuously thought about proposing to Rachel. But he wanted to make sure that they were ready, not just for their sake, but for Emma's as well.

"Thanks, guys," Rachel said angrily, standing up to go check on Ross.

Ross sat at the bar with his hands folded on the counter. He looked straight down at his hands, shaking his head. He felt a hand touch his shoulder. He knew that touch.

"Hey," Rachel said, taking a seat next to him.

"Hey," Ross mumbled, keeping his head down.

"Don't listen to them, Ross. They don't know what they're talking about," Rachel said as she put her hand on top of his.

Ross shook his head. "They, they, they just…God sometimes they just go too far."

"I know. Don't let them get to you though," she tried to comfort him.

"Yeah, but come on. Look at me. I'm a failure when it comes to this, and I just don't wanna mess stuff up with you."

"Ross, you…," Rachel started to say.

"I mean I'm sure you're wondering when I'm going to ask you," he interrupted.

Rachel was silent for a moment. "I don't need a piece of paper to tell me how I feel about you."

"Yeah, but still, I know you have to think about it," Ross stated.

"Sure I do, but…."

"I just want it to be perfect, you know?"

"It will be," Rachel insisted.

"I mean I just want to do things right this time. I want a forever. I'm so tired of all the endings in my life. And you deserve the best. You know, the romance. I want you to have your moment."

Rachel clutched his hand tightly. "I love you."

Ross looked at her for the first time since she had joined him. "I love you," he said, squeezing her hand.

"You wanna go home?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah."

They returned to the table only to get their stuff.

"Guys, listen," Joey said, standing up from his chair.

"I know you're gonna do great in LA," Ross said, interrupting him. "See ya soon ok?"

"Ross," Phoebe said. "We're sorry, we didn't mean…."

"Let's not talk about it now ok?" Rachel said, giving Joey a hug. "You kick ass out there, Joey."

Ross and Rachel gave silent waves to everyone and turned around to leave. They didn't say much to each other on the way home. Instead they just gazed out opposite windows of the cab. Both thought about what it would be like to married, or at least to be married and in love this time. They had been through so much together and to be able to finally say "I do" would be the final step in their long journey together. It would seal the deal.

"It's gorgeous tonight," Rachel commented as they stepped out of the cab in front of their building.

"You're gorgeous tonight," Ross replied, putting his arm around her shoulder as they walked inside.

Rachel went into the bathroom to take her dress off, but noticed Ross behind her, gazing at her through the mirror.

"Can I?" he asked.

Rachel smiled and nodded.

Ross unzipped the back of the dress, slowly pulling it off her shoulders. It fell to the floor, and Ross placed gentle kisses from Rachel's left shoulder to her right, causing her to close her eyes at the sensation. Ross turned her around and moved the kisses to her neck. Rachel pulled his tie loose and unbuttoned his shirt, sliding her hands over his chest again and again.

Unable to fight the urge to make it to the bedroom, Ross lifted Rachel up on the counter and clawed at her lingerie, desperate for it to come off. She loved how his strong hands could lift her and yearned for his muscular arms to be wrapped around her. He wanted to prove to her that what happened earlier hadn't gotten to him, even though he knew it had. Skipping foreplay, Ross found a condom and entered her immedietly. Rachel moaned at his quickness, but adjusted herself to meet his quick thrusts. His hands tightly grasped her thighs as she leaned back, clutching the towel rack and sink faucet with her hands.

Ross wanted her in his arms now, so he put his hands behind her back and made her sit up. Her arms went around his shoulders and her head rested against his as he forced every ounce of love he felt for her into his motions. Both of them had their eyes closed as their bodies surged together in passion. Rachel's hands ran through Ross's hair; his kept their tight grasp of her back. Ross was thrusting faster than normal, and eventually climaxed, releasing a loud moan into Rachel's ear. She knew something had to still be bothering him for him to be this intense. He had been intense many times before, but it had never felt so needy. As their breathing subdued, she kept her hands running through his hair. She could feel his fear rushing through his body. She tried to pull out of the embrace slightly, but Ross pulled her back into the hug.

"Not yet," he whispered, indicating that he still wanted to be inside her.

Rachel hugged him tighter, kissing him on the neck.

"It's ok, baby," she said softly into his ear.

Ross buried his face farther into her neck. He needed her so much right now. He wasn't crying, but he was breathing in a way that she could tell he was scared. He squeezed her with every emotion he had ever felt, and let out a small sigh, so relived she was in his arms.

"Shhh," Rachel said, rocking their bodies back and forth.

"Everything's going to be ok," she insisted with a whisper. "As long as it's you and me, you'll have your forever."


	5. The Ride

Rachel awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs trickling into the bedroom. She dragged herself from the bed and found her robe, covering her nude body as she strolled to the kitchen to see what Ross was up to.

"Whatca making?" Rachel asked as she snuck up behind Ross, wrapping her arms around his torso from his backside.

Ross jumped at her touch and turned around.

"Aww, you were supposed to stay in bed," he groaned, knowing his surprise for her had been ruined.

"Awww," she cooed back as she draped her arms over his shoulders. "Hi," she softly followed.

"Hi," Ross said flirtatiously, then giving her a light kiss on the lips.

"Last night was great," Rachel said happily, joining her hands around his neck.

"I know, it's been a long time since we just talked like that," he replied.

"Well, the talking and the other stuff," she hinted shyly.

Last night after an unexpected quickie in the bathroom, Rachel held Ross for a long time and reaffirmed him of her faith in their future. They eventually made love again, this time in the bedroom and more tender, but also very passionate. They spent the rest of the night talking until three in the morning about everything from politics to the nights they had spent apart. The talking and cuddling meant just as much to them as the lovemaking.

"So what do we have here?" Rachel asked as she tried to peek over him and see what was on the stove.

"You go get back in bed. This was supposed to be a surprise."

"Oh just let me have a taste," she insisted, trying to get around him.

"Nope, back to bed. Give me five minutes," Ross ordered as he pointed her towards the kitchen door.

Rachel went back to the bedroom and found some shorts and a t-shirt to put on. She curled up under the covers and waited for Ross to come back.

"Ok, now we can eat," Ross said as he came into the bedroom a few minutes later. He was carrying a tray with two plates. Each had bacon, eggs, and toast, and there were two glasses of orange juice.

"You're so sweet, doing all this," Rachel commented as Ross sat next to her on the bed.

"Well we've gotta eat. I'd just rather do it here and with you," he replied.

Rachel sat Indian-style under the covers; Ross sprawled out on top of the covers as they ate with the tray between them.

"Someone was hungry," Ross noted as Rachel finished her food first. Usually he finished first.

"It's sooo good," Rachel said, wiping her face with a napkin.

"Well I always considered myself the best cook in the Geller family," Ross joked. He pushed the tray aside and cuddled up with Rachel, resting his head on the headboard.

"I don't know about that, honey," Rachel said as she adjusted her body next to Ross.

"What do you wanna do today?" Ross asked.

"Hmm, one day to do grown-up stuff. I could think of a few things," she giggled.

"Well of course that," Ross agreed. "But I wanna take you out tonight. Where do you wanna go?"

"Maybe Diablo's?" Rachel suggested.

"Mmm-k," Ross concurred.

"Nice Italian food, some wine," Rachel said seductively as she wrapped her arms around Ross's neck and moved her face close to his. "And then I'm gonna make you watch _How to Lose a Guy_ when we get home."

"Again?" Ross mumbled, smiling and nuzzling his nose against hers.

Rachel nodded. "You know you like it."

"Well tomorrow night my documentary on the history of Mesopotamia is on so you have to watch it with me."

Rachel frowned.

"Don't give me that look," Ross said as he started tickling her on her sides.

"Ross!" Rachel laughed as he tickled her harder, forcing her to wiggle her body flat on the bed. "Ross! Stop!" she cried as she laughed uncontrollably.

"You gonna watch it with me?" Ross asked as he still tickled her.

"Yes! Yes!" Rachel conceded.

"Good," he smirked, releasing his hands from her sides.

"That's not fair," Rachel complained, staying on flat on the bed.

Ross climbed on top of her and cradled her under him.

"Ohhhh, want me to do it again?" Ross flirted.

"No," Rachel laughed. "I'll watch it with you."

Ross kissed Rachel lightly as he ran his hand up her leg. She pulled him in for a deeper kiss, moving her hands under his t-shirt. As they fell deeper into a moment of passion, they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

"Who in the world?" Ross asked as he pulled away from Rachel.

"What time is it?" Rachel asked before looking at the clock to see that it was 10:15.

"Too early to interrupt us," Ross groaned as he stood up and put on a pair of flannel pajama pants over his boxers.

He went to the living room and looked through the peephole, and was surprised at who he saw on the other side.

"Hey," he said as he opened the door to Phoebe and Joey.

"Hey, man," Joey said.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving," Ross asked.

"My flight leaves at two," Joey answered.

"Can we come in?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah," Ross said, motioning for them to enter.

"Honey, who is it?" Rachel asked before emerging from the bedroom. "Hey, guys," she said, a bit startled to see them so early on a Saturday morning.

Joey sat in the side chair and Phoebe sat down on the couch.

"What's going on?" Ross asked as he sat down next to Phoebe. Rachel joined them on the other end of the couch.

"We're really sorry about last night," Phoebe explained.

"We had no right to say that stuff to you guys," Joey continued.

Ross nodded. "Shit happens."

"I know we were drunk but that still didn't give us the right," Phoebe said.

"It was a little harsh," Rachel added.

"I didn't want to leave things like that before I left," Joey admitted.

"It's all good," Ross said.

"You sure?" Joey asked.

"Yeah man, of course," Ross insisted.

"Rach?" Phoebe cut in.

"We're good guys," she said smiling brightly.

"I'd like to hear what Mon has to say though," Ross said.

"You know she would've come but they were getting the babies back this morning," Phoebe explained.

"I know, I'm just kidding," Ross smiled. "I'm still gonna give her hell about it though."

"For once it won't be Chandler," Rachel laughed as she nudged Ross in the side.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Joey said in his little boy voice.

"We're gonna miss you too, hon," Rachel said.

"Ahem," Joey said looking at Phoebe.

"I'm gonna miss you too. Maybe I'll make Mike move out there," she said.

"Yeah!" Joey exclaimed.

"Yeah, the porn stores are so much better out there," Phoebe said, seriously.

Joey frowned as Ross and Rachel laughed.

"We need to get you to the airport," Phoebe said.

"Aww, give me a hug," Rachel declared as she stood up.

"I'm gonna start charging for all these cab rides I give you guys to the airport," Phoebe joked.

"I'll give you whatever you want. My ride was totally worth it," Ross beamed as he eyed Rachel.

Ross gave Joey a hug after Rachel, secretly cringing at the thought of his pal leaving. But the goodbyes Ross and Rachel got today were bittersweet; they knew it would be a while before seeing Joey again, but were relieved they got to clear things up from the night before. Sure their friends had said things that upset them, but it meant a lot to them that their apologies were sincere. These were their best friends after all.

As Joey left for the unknown, Ross and Rachel each realized how much they needed each other more than ever. Their friends had been there for them in their twenties, but as they all went their separate ways the importance of family became so much clearer. For Ross, his two girls would be there waiting for him everyday. For Rachel, the ride that Phoebe had given Ross to the airport was something she would always be grateful for. Because now she had the family that she had wanted since that conversation with Janice when Emma was born. She knew there would be no "Little Miss New Boobs". And right now it didn't matter if her name stayed Green or changed to Geller; she had her family.


	6. The Kiss

"Rachel, I can't miss this tonight. Wendy worked really hard on this and I need to be there to support her," Ross explained as he buttoned up a blue-collared shirt.

"But it's my company Christmas party. Some of my newer co-workers haven't even met you even though we've been together for like six months now," Rachel argued back as she also got dressed for work.

"I know, sweetie, I'm sorry. I'll try to make it up to you," Ross said.

"You've already been working so much with her lately. When is this thing going to be done?" Rachel asked, knowing she couldn't be too upset with him for working late nights. He had been the same way with her when she worked at Bloomingdales and she did not want to interfere with his work.

"Soon, I promise," Ross said as he planted a kiss on top of Rachel's head.

"I just wish you could tell her you can't make it this one night. I was really looking forward to spending tonight with you, especially since Emma is at my dad's this weekend," Rachel continued to complain.

"Honey, look finals are done next week and then I'm going to be off for like three weeks so I'll be able to spend as much time with you as you want. But Wendy needs me tonight, ok?"

Wendy was a PhD candidate in paleontology at NYU and had asked Ross to oversee her research in her final semester. She had received numerous grants and Ross felt that this was a great opportunity to gain a new perspective on a certain area in his field. However, he had been spending long hours with Wendy in order to help her, and it had started to cause some friction between Ross and Rachel. Tonight Wendy was presenting her findings at a conference being held at NYU and Ross felt it was only appropriate to be there.

Rachel really wanted her boyfriend to be on her arm at the Ralph Lauren Christmas party. With both of them working and having to take care of Emma, it was very hard to find time for each other. But Ross knew that once this project was done he was going to spend less time at work and focus more on Rachel and Emma. He hated having to neglect Rachel, but something about working with Wendy brought a new light to his career. She was different than most people in the field, and he found himself enjoying going to work more than he had in the past.

"Ok," Rachel whispered in a melancholy tone, trying to hide her feelings about the situation.

Rachel liked Wendy when she first met her. She seemed very passionate about her studies and Rachel was glad that Ross could help her. However, over the past month, Rachel began to suspect that Wendy was interested in Ross. She had been calling him at home on the weekends and even showed up at their apartment one night claiming she just needed his opinion on something. Again, Rachel was trying to be supportive of the whole thing, but there was just a gut feeling that told her something wasn't right.

Ross met Chandler for lunch later that day to discuss their upcoming holiday plans. They were planning on going to Monica and Chandler's on Christmas Eve and staying until the day after Christmas. Ross started discussing some ideas with Chander and was seeking out another opinion.

"You sure about this?" Chandler asked Ross.

"I think so. I've just been thinking about it so much lately and I think it's time, you know?" Ross asked hesitantly.

"Look, you know you're my best friend and I'll support you however I can. I just think you should really think about."

"Yeah. It's been hard at home the last few weeks. Rachel's been snapping at me a lot about Wendy, but I've really enjoyed working with her. Just a lot of decisions to make. The fighting has me kinda worried about it."

"I guess you can only do what you think is best," Chandler added.

"Listen, don't tell Monica I told you this."

"Ok," Chandler answered, knowing this was one secret better kept to himself.

Ross and Wendy were in Ross' office working on everything for that evening. Ross was very excited, as he had made a decision on something he knew was going to change his life forever.

"Ross, what do you think?" Wendy asked.

"I'm sorry, what?" he answered, coming out of a daze.

"About that sentence. Do you think it fits?" Wendy asked referring to her speech.

"Yeah, I think it sounds good," Ross replied.

"You seem kinda distracted. Are you ok?"

"Oh yeah, just have a lot on my mind."

"Like what?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Oh, just some stuff at home, that's all. I think your speech sounds great."

"Thanks," she started. "Can I ask you something, Ross?"

"Sure."

"When this project is done, are we still going to see each other?"

"Uh, I don't know. Aren't you graduating?"

"Well yes, but I hate to think that it might be the end for us. We feed so well off of each other."

"We do do pretty good work, don't we?" Ross asked rhetorically.

"Do you ever think it might mean that there's something more there?" she asked as she moved towards him.

Ross gulped. "Wendy, I'm not sure that…"

"You know that I'm attracted to you, right?"

"I think maybe you got the wrong idea. I have a girlfriend, remember?"

"Yeah, but she seems so wrong for you. Do you guys have anything in common?" she asked rubbing her hands on his shoulders.

"Listen, I think you need to…." Ross tried to say.

Wendy leaned in before Ross could do anything and kissed him. At that exact moment, Rachel appeared in the doorway, witnessing everything. Ross pushed Wendy away almost as quickly as she had kissed him and saw Rachel out of the corner of his eye.

"Wha……" Rachel whispered, covering her hand with her mouth.

"Rach, this isn't what you think," Ross insisted as he made his way towards her.

"I knew it! I knew there was something going on!" she hollered.

"No, no there's not. She just kissed me out of nowhere, I swear!"

Rachel turned and started walking frantically down the hall. Ross grabbed his coat and went after her.

"How could you do this after all I've done for you?!" Ross shouted to Wendy as he fled his office.

He saw Rachel running down the empty hallway. "Rachel!" He sped up and finally was able to grab her from behind.

"No, Ross!" she cried as she tried to free herself from his tight grasp of her arms. "Let go of me!"

"Rach, listen to me!" he hollered as he let her arms fall back to her sides. "I swear to you this just happened. Nothing's going on!"

"How am I supposed to believe that!"

Rachel noticed that Wendy was coming down the hallway. She screamed at her.

"You son of a bitch! You're a fucking whore!"

"Rach!" Ross interrupted. "Please don't…."

"Oh, you're defending her? How long has this been going on, huh?" Rachel demanded to know as tears flowed freely from her eyes.

"Nothing is going on. She literally just did this and I pushed her away as soon as it happened. Rachel, I swear to you."

Rachel tried to contain herself. She wanted to believe him. She knew he knew better than to ever try anything like that ever again.

"I'm sorry," Wendy interrupted. "Rachel, he's telling the truth. I should have kept my feelings to myself. I'm sorry."

"Wendy, I think you need to find someone else to help you finish your project."

"But I need you!" she hollered.

Rachel studied Ross as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"No, you need to finish this without me. The fact that you would even think I'm not in love with Rachel is too much disrespect to me and my family," Ross stated firmly.

"Please, Ross," Wendy begged.

"Please go retrieve your things from my office and go onto the dinner without me," he said pointing towards his office.

Wendy turned around with a look of shock on her face. Ross knew he should have seen this coming. Rachel had been giving him hints that she felt something wasn't right, and he should have listened to her.

"Rach," Ross whispered, not sure of what to say to her.

Her red, teary eyes said it all. She felt betrayed by him once again. Even though she now realized he had done nothing wrong, she didn't know how to even begin this conversation.

"I was going to skip my Christmas party and come be with you while you watched her presentation," Rachel confessed as she looked straight into Ross' eyes.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry."

Ross moved towards her and grabbed her, burying her face into his chest. He held her as she cried softly.

"I shouldn't have gotten so involved with this research. I let it become too much of a priority and I should've seen this coming. But I promise you nothing ever happened with us."

"But why did you let it get to this point?" Rachel asked, pulling herself away from him. She grabbed his right hand.

"The research was so fascinating and I just wanted to be a part of it. If I had known she had seen this as something more than a professional relationship I would have never even started it, I promise you."

"I've missed you so much this past month. I was starting to think that you saw something in her," Rachel confessed.

"Not once," Ross insisted. "I love you."

"I know you do. I'm sorry I didn't trust you more."

"You don't have to be sorry about anything. This is my fault. I'm done with this stuff though. Four classes is enough."

Rachel smiled a little through her remaining tears.

Ross laughed. "Look at you. I love your smile."

Rachel giggled. "I love yours too."

"Do you wanna go to your Christmas party?"

"No, let's go home and just spend the night with each other. I think we need some time that's just us."

"Sounds perfect," Ross said, placing his forehead against hers.

The kiss that occurred tonight could have perhaps been the best thing that could happen for them. Ross realized that he had become too involved in his work and knew that if Wendy was out of the picture he could be a better boyfriend. He had been thinking a lot about the state of their relationship, and their fighting about his work had ignited a lot of questions for him. But he now knew that he wouldn't need Chandler's advice to figure things out.


	7. The Lights

The heat was blazing at full blast in the Bing SUV, but the cold air still caused everyone to shiver. It was the morning of Christmas Eve, and the forecast called for a high of 19 that day. While everyone always loved a cold New York Christmas, everyone was ready to be inside by the fire at the Bing house in Westchester.

"I appreciate you coming to get us, man," Ross said to Chandler as he adjusted the vent in front of his seat.

"I don't think all those presents you guys have would've fit in a cab. Did you buy the entire third floor of Macy's Rachel?" Chandler commented as he looked at her through the rear view mirror.

"Hey, just imagine if Ben was coming with us too. We gave him all his presents yesterday," she defended.

Ben had spent Thanksgiving with Ross this year, so Carol and Susan were getting him for Christmas. Ben had already spent Hanukkah with Ross, but he also had come over to their house the night before so he could do Christmas with Emma.

In the week since Ross had cut ties with Wendy, Ross and Rachel had been acting like teenagers. They had neglected the housework and had put Emma to bed early almost every night so that they could make love. Ross had been done with work and could have finished all the Christmas shopping, but instead he and Emma went to have lunch with Rachel everyday. It was almost as if he was trying to make something up to her. He had begged her not to take the job of her dreams so that she could be with him, and then he had turned around and started working round the clock just a couple of months later. He just wanted this Christmas to be the best it could be for Emma and Rachel.

After a slow ride out of the city, The Geller-Green clan and Chandler arrived at the house eager to get into warmer surroundings. Monica had been cleaning for the last week, making sure everything would be perfect for her first Christmas in the house. She had just finished extra touches on the guest room, and had set up an extra crib for Emma in Erica's room.

"Monica, everything looks amazing," Rachel commented as she gave Monica a hug with her free arm. Emma was in the other.

"I know! Did you see the tree? I planned it from top to bottom," Monica said beaming.

"It's gorgeous. Emma, you see the big tree?" Rachel asked the toddler.

"Twee!" Emma exclaimed as she pointed towards the living room.

"Where are the boys?" Monica asked when she realized that had not followed Rachel in.

"They're getting everything out of the car," Rachel said.

"Thanks for the help," Ross groaned as he pushed open the front door with his foot. He dropped the luggage on the ground.

"You guys realize we're spoiling these kids out the ass?" Chandler asked as he entered behind Ross, carrying three bags of presents. "When I was a kid all I got were socks and the joy of seeing my dad kiss his boyfriend under the mistletoe."

"Ross, give him a kiss," Monica said pointing towards Chandler. "Maybe it'll get him to stop complaining.

"What do I look like? The gay spirit of Christmas?" Ross asked jokingly.

"Maybe with the right twinky elf outfit," Chandler replied.

"Are you sure he's not gay, Mon," Rachel asked as she patted Monica on the back.

"Nope, just a smart ass," Monica laughed.

"Ewica and Jacky?" Emma asked as she tugged on Rachel's shirt.

"They're taking naps, sweetie," Monica answered. "Why don't we set you up with a movie and you can see them when they wake up."

Rachel carried Emma into the living room and sat her down in front of the TV. Monica and Chandler followed so they could put all the presents under the tree. Ross had already headed upstairs with the luggage and re-emerged a few minutes later. Monica was sitting on the floor with Emma singing along to the movie they had put in. Ross noticed Rachel standing quietly in the corner, almost staring off into thin air.

"Hey, you. You ok?" he asked as he moved his arms in front of her and positioned himself closely behind her, also planting a light kiss on the back of her head.

"Yeah, yeah. I just love watching her and how giddy she gets at the smallest things."

"I think she gets that from you. Your smile lights up a room just when you walk into one," Ross noted, pulling her closer.

"Aww, you trying to score brownie points on me?" Rachel flirted back.

"No, I don't have to do that. I think I've got you pretty well trained to do what I want," he joked.

"That's what you think," Rachel teased, rubbing her hands over his.

Rachel knew that this was going to be the best Christmas she would have had since Emma was born. The first two brought a whole new meaning to the time of year for her, but getting to spend this one with Ross would mean more than any gift anyone could give her.

"Mon, you and Rachel still gonna go to the store to get the B-A-R-B-I-E thing?" Chandler asked. He was referring to a dollhouse that they had ordered for Emma, but it was the "it" toy to have this year and the shipment wasn't arriving at the store until today.

"Yeah, we're going around two," she answered.

"You boys going to be able to handle all these kids by yourself for like an hour?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, sweetheart," Ross said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

Rachel made her way towards Monica and Emma and took a seat beside them.

"You gonna be able to do this in an hour?" Chandler whispered to Ross under his breath.

"Yes, I just need to make sure you don't let them leave the house once they get back," Ross responded.

"Pretty risky, plan, man," Chandler commented.

"Just tell me where the ladder is and it'll be fine," Ross snarled under his breath.

* * *

The two families spent Christmas morning with Emma at the center of attention. The twins were barely seven months old and remained quietly in their carriers as Emma tried to get them to play with her. After Emma had opened all of her gifts, the adults began exchanging with each other. Again, Ross and Monica had already celebrated Hanukkah together, so this was just a gift exchange between the couples.

"Oh my God!" Monica exclaimed as she ripped open the gift Chandler had gotten her. It was probably the most expensive vacuum ever manufactured, but Chandler felt it was worth every penny when he saw the look on Monica's face.

"What's wrong with the one you had?" Rachel asked, unsure of why anyone could get so excited over a vacuum.

"This thing has over thirty settings! Thank you, honey," Monica said as she gave Chandler a kiss on the cheek.

Chandler tore into his gifts next. He found two sweater vests and a new iPod adapter for his car.

"Now I can listen to N'Sync on the way to work!" he exclaimed, realizing everyone had heard him when he saw three confused faces staring back at him. "I mean the Beatles," he said clearing his throat.

"Sure, Chandler," Rachel said.

"Thank you, Mon," he said giving Rachel a dirty look.

"My turn!" Ross exclaimed, grabbing the present that Rachel had put in front of him.

Ross carefully opened the tiny box. "It's so light," he commented.

Rachel smiled. "Hey sometimes smaller is better."

"Wow!" Ross hollered as he found two tickets for the Egyptian New Kingdom exhibit. "Rach, how did you even know?" he asked, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I poked around your office a little. Asked a couple of the professors. They said this is all you had been talking about but you weren't going to buy tickets because you wanted to be able to afford everything for your family for Christmas."

"Aw, thank you so much!"

"And you take one of your friends, ok? I want you to be able to discuss it with someone who knows more about it than me," Rachel declared.

"Oh, whatever. You know you're coming with me," he said, clutching her hand tightly.

"See Rach, I may have to put up with the retarded jokes, but you have to put up with the science adventures," Monica joked.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "How is it that I'm going last?" she asked as Ross pulled a tiny box out from underneath him. Rachel immediately noticed its size and shape and felt a wave of butterflies circle in her stomach. Could this be it?

She smiled and focused on Ross as she opened the box. Definitely jewelry, she thought to herself once the paper was off. Six pairs of eyes were glued to her. She slowly opened it, but felt a sharp pain hit her when she realized it was a pair of earrings. They were beautiful earrings, but she had let herself get a little too excited that it could have been an engagement ring.

"They're beautiful," she said, leaning over to give Ross a kiss.

"You sure?" Ross asked, knowing that she had exchanged half of the gifts he had ever given her.

"Yes, I love them," she answered, clutching the box in her fist.

"That's a first," Chandler laughed.

Rachel tilted her head to the side and glared at Chandler. Just like old times.

That evening after the kids had gone to bed the group of four sat around drinking wine and reminisced about the past. They recalled past Christmases with Joey and Phoebe, all wishing that the six of them were together.

"At least when he gets a big payout from this new movie he can get us expensive gifts next year," Rachel joked, referring to Joey's new role in a film in Los Angeles.

"Or just pay me back for all the gifts I always bought him to give to you guys," Chandler said seriously.

Monica swatted Chandler on the shoulder. "You know that's long gone."

"Hey, Rachel, you wanna come outside with me for a minute," Ross asked trying to change the subject.

"What? It's freezing out there. Why do you want to go outside?"

"Let's just go for a walk. Not very long. I just need some fresh air," Ross tried to say convincingly.

"You're crazy, you know that?" she said, standing up beside him.

They walked to the front door and put on their coats.

"Why do you need fresh air in sub-freezing weather, Ross?" Rachel asked.

"I just want us to be alone for a few minutes. We haven't had any time to ourselves today," Ross said.

"We can do that upstairs, honey," she replied as she winked at him.

Ross grabbed her hand and opened the front door. "Oh quit being a baby and just come sit with me."

With his arm around her shoulder, Ross guided Rachel onto the front porch and led her to sit down on the stairs.

"Brrrrrrr," Rachel chattered.

Ross kissed Rachel lightly on the lips and rubbed her hands quickly to try and warm them up.

"I really love you, you know that?" Ross asked seriously.

"Well of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" Rachel asked in a confused manner.

"I just want you to know. These past few months have been so amazing. And I know it got hard there for a little while, but that was just me getting too caught up in my work."

"I know, baby. I think we've both learned that letting work get in our way isn't always best, but sometimes it's necessary," Rachel responded.

"Anyways, I know it's just been a few months since we got back together, but I've pretty much loved you since I hit puberty."

Rachel laughed. "Since the days of the fro."

Ross laughed too. "Yeah, I guess so."

"And that God-awful mustache?"

"Hey, my mustache was totally in at the time," Ross defended.

"Hmm-hmm," Rachel nodded, moving closer to Ross as he rubbed his arm up and down her back.

"When we had Emma I knew that some way or another we would get back together. I guess we had both given up on "us" but she kinda helped us see what we were missing, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did," Rachel answered, wondering why Ross was bringing this up.

"I guess I'm just glad that everything turned out how it did. I mean I know we're not traditional in the way we have done things, and I really wish we had stayed together all these years, but at least now we know this is right."

"Of course it's right. You ok, hon?"

"Yeah, yeah. I guess Christmas just has me thinking and I want you to know that being with you makes me happier than I ever imagined I could be."

"Awww, well you make me happier too," Rachel said, cuddling her head into Ross' shoulder.

"Hey, go look in the backseat of the car. I hid an extra present for you in there," Ross said.

"What? What kind of present?" Rachel asked.

"Just a little something kinky I thought we could use later on," Ross said.

"What? What if Monica and Chandler found that?" Rachel asked as she jumped to her feet.

"Oh it's fine. Just go look. You might actually like it," Ross said, standing up behind her. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text before Rachel could notice.

Rachel went to the side of the house and found the SUV parked in the driveway. Ross walked behind her, with his hands in his pockets.

"You're crazy, you know it?" she asked, turning around to look at him.

He nodded and smiled.

Rachel opened the car door and searched the backseat for a sign of a present.

"Where is it? I don't see anything," she asked pulling herself out of the car.

She turned around and felt a cold shiver come across her body. There, on the side of the house were Christmas lights that read "Will you marry me?" Ross was close to the edge of the house, down on one knee, holding out a ring.

"Oh, my God," Rachel whispered, putting one hand over her mouth.

"Rachel, you really do make me happier than I ever thought I could be, but would you make me even happier by becoming my wife," Ross said, then pausing. "For real this time?"

A smile burst across Rachel's face, and before Ross knew it, she was in his arms, holding him tightly.

"Yes!" she shouted as a few tears ran down her cheeks.

"Here!" Ross exclaimed, pulling her away so he could put the ring on her finger.

"It's perfect!" she said as he slid it on her finger.

"Oh yeah? Not one you wanna exchange either?"

Rachel laughed and pulled Ross into a passionate kiss.

"The lights? How did you even?" Rachel started to ask.

"While you guys were gone yesterday. Chandler helped me," Ross replied.

"You sneaky thing," Rachel laughed.

"I love you," Ross said seriously, brushing some hair out of her face.

"I love you too," Rachel followed, also putting her hand on Ross' face.

"Let's go inside, it's freezing out here," Ross said as he grabbed Rachel by the hand and started to lead her inside.

"Really? I don't even notice it now."


	8. The Comforter

One part somewhat rated M.

"Guess what?" Rachel hollered as she ran into the Bing living room, hardly able to contain her excitement.

"Wait for me!" Ross shouted as he ran in behind her.

"What's going on?" Monica asked.

Chandler smiled wide-eyed. He already knew.

"We're engaged!" Rachel cheered as she flashed the ring at Monica.

"Oh my God!" Monica responded as she grabbed Rachel's hand and admired the ring.

Ross grabbed Rachel from behind, pulling her tightly to his body and wrapping his arms around her. He bent down and gave her a giant kiss on her cheek.

"You guys! That's incredible. How did he do it?" Monica asked.

"There's Christmas lights on the side of your house that say 'Will you marry me?' You didn't know about it?" Rachel asked.

"No I had no idea," Monica started to say as she looked at Chandler. He couldn't hold back his grin. "But I guess he did."

"I made him keep it a secret," Ross explained as he still held onto Rachel.

"We're going to start planning this thing right away!" Monica exclaimed.

"Whoa, Mon. This just happened three minutes ago. Give us a little time to enjoy this moment," Rachel said.

"Whatever, you know we'll be looking at dresses by next weekend."

* * *

Rachel thrusted her body against Ross's, bringing her head down to his for a long kiss as their love making picked up speed. She bit her lip and tried to remain quiet, remembering that they were in someone else's house. Ross quivered as he tried to keep his pleasure in, pulling Rachel close to him again so they could climax together. Their eyes met just as their bodies did. The intensity in their stares proved to be almost as strong as the physical sensations. They rocked together until neither could hold it in anymore, and Rachel fell onto Ross's body, both of them trying to regain some sense of normal breathing.

Even though they were both sweating, Ross pulled the comforter up over their bodies and tightly wrapped his arms around Rachel. He allowed her to remain on top of him until she finally rolled onto his side, keeping her arm stretched out across his chest. Just as she always did after they made love.

"That was awesome," Rachel finally whispered, trying to break the silence.

Ross pulled himself from her and turned on his side to face her. "You're awesome."

He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"I am, aren't I," she sarcastically responded.

Ross nodded. "My awesome finance."

"I like the sound of that," she said, stroking his cheek with her hand. "I still can't believe you pulled that off. What if I had gone outside and seen the lights on the side of the house?"

"I texted Chandler while we were out there to turn them on," Ross answered.

"I know, but Monica or I could have just seen them even if they weren't lit up. They weren't there before."

"Well I knew how cold it was going to be and knew that neither of you would step outside unless you had to," Ross explained.

"Like you dragging me out there?" Rachel giggled.

"Exactly."

They stared at each other for a few moments, each reflecting on this time in their lives. Ross couldn't believe that he was finally going to marry Rachel. From the moment she kissed him after seeing the prom video, he knew she was going to be the woman he wanted to spend his life with. When they broke up and he had to move on, she was always the last one he thought about before going to sleep. Through Emily, Elizabeth, Mona, and the countless other women he dated, Rachel was always the one that saw him off to his dreams. When she gave birth to Emma, he knew that some way or another he would find a way to be with her again. It is simply a love that cannot be put into words, he thought. Nothing could make him happier than looking at her pure beauty in this moment. No makeup, no clothes, no distractions. This was the true Rachel he had always loved, and now would be loving forever.

Rachel melted when she looked into his dark brown eyes. His type was the last she had ever imagined herself with, yet on her birthday in 1995 she had some sort of gut feeling that she may have discovered her true sole mate. While it took a while for them to be together, once they were she could never imagine being with anyone else. When she tried to move on after their break up, she felt herself trying to force away her feelings for him. Yet she never had a real boyfriend after Ross, or at least one she could fall in love with. She had always made fun of his geeky ways to try and hide her feelings for him. Yet now she could laugh at him for being geeky and know that they were some of the reasons she loved him. And yes, she was finally going to marry a doctor.

"You're so cute, you know that?" Rachel asked as they came out of their deep gazes.

"I do," he played along.

She slapped him on the shoulder.

"My other boyfriend is almost as cute as you, but not quite."

"Oh and is he going to marry you too?"

"Well we had talked about it, but I guess since you asked me first…." she trailed off.

"Hmm-hmm," Ross said.

Rachel looked at the ring on her finger.

"Did you pick this out by yourself?"

"Actually my mom helped me. She wanted me to give you my grandmother's ring, but I wanted it to be one you had never seen before."

"Yeah I guess that ring would have been a little weird," Rachel whispered.

"Eh, doesn't matter. Just knowing I get to marry you is all I care about."

"Well you do love getting married don't you?" Rachel said sarcastically.

"Don't start with me," Ross replied just as sarcastically. He knew she was just joking.

"Ok, you love marrying me, right?"

"Much better," Ross replied.

"I guess we've got so much to plan don't we?"

"Yeah, but no hurry, right? We want it to be right."

"Right," Rachel said, smiling back at Ross. "Besides, it sounds like Monica's willing to do most of it for us."

"She is one-of-a-kind," Ross stated. "And I always think if it weren't for my little sister I wouldn't have you."

"Awww. She has done a lot for me. Giving me a place to stay, teaching me about managing my money, always being there for me."

"And nothing else?" Ross asked.

"Teaching me to clean?"

Ross gave Rachel a flirtatious look.

"Oh she introduced me to you!" Rachel joked knowing she was driving Ross crazy.

"You think we can just do this all day tomorrow? I love just laying here talking to you." Ross said.

"Well, honey, I think our daughter might need us at some point," Rachel reminded him.

"Ok, well when she takes her nap. We're coming up here and getting naked and doing this again."

"Sweetie, we always do this," Rachel noted. "We've only got one more day with Monica and Chandler."

Ross pouted. "Ok."

"You're silly. But maybe when we get home I'll put on the new lacy thing you got me."

Ross perked up. "Yeah you will!"

"I love you, Ross," Rachel said sweetly, brushing her hand across his face.

"And I love you too," he responded, kissing her on the nose.

The newly engaged couple continued to talk until they fell asleep in each other's arms. Of course they had done this so many times before over the years, but tonight, their engagement night, would always be one they would remember. The comforter that they had given Chandler and Monica when they moved into the house kept them warm as they snuggled with each other. It shielded them from everything else beyond the bed they lay in. It shielded them from their past troubles, and provided the comfort they would need as they looked ahead at their lives together.


	9. The Turn

"Hey, Daddy, sorry we're late," Rachel said as she went to hug her father that had just stood up from the chair he was sitting in.

"It's ok, baby," he replied, giving Ross a nod as he came out of the hug with Rachel.

"Dr. Green. How are you?" Ross asked reaching out to shake his hand.

"Very good," he answered, not bothering to ask Ross how he was. "Here, sit here, sweetheart," he continued as he pointed at the chair next to his.

"Gosh, things have just been so crazy. I had Emma ready to go and then she decided to get pudding all over her clothes. We were fifteen minutes late getting out the door and getting her to Phoebe's," Rachel explained as their reason for being late.

"I wish you had brought my little princess," Dr. Green groaned.

"She wanted to see you too. But we wanted to go over some stuff with you tonight and figured it would be best for her to stay home tonight," Ross said.

Rachel tilted her head and gave Ross a "not yet" look after he had made the previous comment.

"Go over some stuff?" Dr. Green asked in a confused manner.

"Oh, well, I guess there's no use in not telling you know," Rachel cut in.

She grasped Ross's hand that was resting on top of the table.

"Daddy, Ross and I, we're…..we're getting married," she revealed slowly, squinting her face hoping that she would get a good reaction.

Ross nodded slightly in anticipation as well. Dr. Green observed them both for a moment with a look similar to that when Rachel revealed she was pregnant.

"Gellar, don't you think you should have asked my permission first?" he finally said.

This was not the reaction either had hoped for.

"I, uh. I guess I didn't think I needed…." Ross tried to defend himself.

"You didn't think you needed to ask my permission to marry my oldest daughter?" he exclaimed.

"Dad," Rachel interrupted. "Come on, enough is enough. Can't you just be happy for us?

"You two are such children sometimes you know? Bringing children into this world out of wedlock. Getting married when you are drunk in Vegas. Living under the same roof without being married. And then when you finally decide to get married, you can't even do that right," he whined.

"Sir, I don't think that…." Ross said before he was cut off again.

"It has always been important in my family for a man to get permission before proposing. Gellar you still know how to mess everything up."

"Jesus Christ, Dad! Please just stop!" Rachel hollered as she stood up. "We came here tonight hoping to have your blessing and discuss your part in helping with our wedding, but I guess this is just another way I've disappointed you," she cried, running away from the table leaving Ross and her father staring at each other.

"You know, over the years I've put up with your banters and problems with me. But this isn't about you anymore. This is about us and how we want to devote ourselves to each other for the rest of our lives. Now I love Rachel and yes we've been through some tough times, but can't you just see past that and try to accept me as a part of her life?"

Ross grabbed his coat and went to find Rachel at the front of the restaurant. He found her waiting by the door with a look of agony on her face. This wasn't supposed to be this way for her. He wanted everything about planning their wedding to be what she had always wanted.

"Hey gorgeous," he said, trying to cheer her up.

"Hey," she replied, giving him a soft smile as he took her hand and played with it.

"I'm sorry that we can't seem to get along with each other. I really want him to like me."

"I know, honey. Me too," Rachel replied as she pulled Ross to her for a hug.

Her eyes were closed as he gently stroked her back.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry about the way I responded," they heard Dr. Green say after a few moments.

Rachel opened her eyes to find her father apologizing. Ross released her from the hug and turned around to face him.

"Please come back and have dinner with me so we can discuss this. I want to help you with your wedding," Dr. Green tried to apologize again. He reached out his hand to Ross.

Ross looked at Rachel and then back at Dr. Green. He reached out his hand to accept the handshake, hopefully putting an end to their long feud.

"My daughter is very lucky to have someone like you. I'm glad she has found someone that cares about her as much as I do."

"Thanks, Daddy," she sniffled as she hugged him. "Now we've just got you and Mom to be able to get along for at least one day and we'll be in business."

* * *

"Oh, Rachel, I think that's it," Monica chimed as she admired Rachel in a long, off the shoulder, wedding dress.

It flowed gracefully down her swanlike body. Snug at the top, but then moving away from her body starting at her waist.

"Momma is pretty," Emma added as Monica ran her hands through the little girl's hair.

"It really is amazing, isn't it?" Rachel asked.

"I think I'll be a little jealous once I compare your wedding pictures to mine," Monica said.

"No, you were beautiful on your wedding day, Mon. But I'll admit. I'm glad it's finally my turn," Rachel confessed.

The turn she had been waiting for all these years. While she had technically had two weddings already, when she almost married Barry and her drunken stupor with Ross, this was the one that was going to count and be forever. It was finally their turn.

It was the end of January, and the engagement had only happened about one month before. Things were happening quickly as they had decided to get married on May 6. It would be one year to the day that they had gotten back together. While things were feeling very rushed, they knew that was the day they wanted. It would forever be their day, and neither couldn't think of any reason why they shouldn't get married on that day. In fact, the whole weekend was going to be a huge celebration. The twins' first birthday would be on May 5. Monica and Chandler agreed to have their party the day after the wedding, and Ross and Rachel could leave for their honeymoon right after.

Keeping with the girls' tradition, Phoebe was going to be Rachel's matron of honor. Chandler was going to be the best man, with Joey once again officiating a wedding for his best friends.

After a hectic day of dress shopping, Rachel returned to the apartment with a sleepy Emma to find Ross on the phone booking something for the big day.

Rachel gave him a smile as she passed him and went straight to the bedroom to put Emma down for a nap.

"I'll get you up for dinner, ok, sweetheart?" Rachel said as she tucked Emma under the covers.

Emma was so close to being asleep that she could hardly answer her mother. Rachel smiled and ran her hand through Emma's hair. She couldn't believe how fast she was growing up. She would be three soon, and it secretly scared Rachel that her little girl wasn't going to be little forever.

Rachel quietly closed the door and went back to the living room to find Ross finishing his conversation.

"Yes, that's for Friday, May 6 at 7:00. Hmm-hmm. Great thank you so much. Bye," Ross finished as he flipped shut is cell phone.

"Hey you," Rachel greeted him, wrapping her arms around his waist and lifting her feet to her tip toes so she could kiss him firmly on the lips.

"Well hey to you too," he replied after the kiss.

"Who was that on the phone?" she asked as she kept her arms around his waist.

"Well, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but…." Ross trailed off.

Rachel looked at him nervously.

"We got the band!"

"Are you serious?!" Rachel exclaimed.

"He's ours if we want him," Ross replied, giving Rachel a kiss on the side of her neck and burying his face in her hair.

"How did you even?" Rachel asked as they made their way over to the couch.

"My dad's friend knows the manager. I mean it's gonna cost a pretty penny, but I don't care."

"Me either," Rachel confessed as she positioned herself on Ross's lap. She gently ran her right hand through his hair.

He had just booked a band they had seen open for the Counting Crows at a concert a few months before. Rachel fell in love with some of their songs, and when Ross mentioned he might have a connection to get them to play at the wedding, she was giddy like a child.

"What would I do without you?" she asked as she gazed into his beautiful eyes.

"Well I guess you could've found a sissy French boy to eat cheese and drink wine with all day," Ross joked.

"Well, when you put it that way, maybe I could do without you," she flirted back.

"Oh yeah, you like lots of cheese with your men do you?" Ross asked.

"And berets. And little curly mustaches. You should grow yours back out, you know?"

"I don't think so," Ross said as he laughed.

"I could twist it with my fingers," Rachel giggled, stroking the skin under Ross's nose with her index finger.

"So, you going to tell me how your day was? Did you buy anything in particular," Ross insinuated, as he knew she had gone dress shopping with Monica.

"Well, I did in fact," Rachel said smartly.

"And would you like to tell me what you got?" Ross sarcastically replied.

"Maybe I got something white to wear for when I walk down the aisle with you."

"Is it something I'll be able to rip off you easily?" Ross laughed.

"No, mister. It must be handled with care," she answered shyly.

"Hmm, like these?" Ross asked as he squeezed her left breast.

"Stop that!" Rachel laughed as she swatted his hand away.

Ross and Rachel smiled at each other like they were two nervous teenagers on a first date. It was a moment similar the "eye contact" they had shared after Emma was born. Sometimes neither could think of the right words to say so they let their non-verbal actions do it for them. This time just looking at each other, they could each tell the other was thinking "I love you."


End file.
